THE OPINION OF THE “WORLD” – TO SEE
On a remote Scottish island, a few migrants disembark: there are barely ten of them, but it’s already too many for the inhabitants. Newcomers are not welcomed with open arms, contrary to what a banner announces – “Refugees Welcome”. Limbothe second feature film by Scotsman Ben Sharrock, does not so much explore hypocrisy or xenophobia as misunderstandings around the figure of the foreigner.
The first scene, burlesque, sets the tone of the film: a comedy that smells of sulfur, narrowly avoiding discomfort, and which invites the viewer to a trip off the beaten track, ultimately benevolent. A man and a woman, of European type, give a workshop in front of about fifteen migrants seated on chairs. The bubbly redhead (Sidse Babett Knudsen) puts on the music, languidly approaches her partner, who believes he is authorized to put his hands on her. But hands off, the lady pushes him away. He doesn’t understand, she starts again. It’s clear ? The men from the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa seem disconcerted. And the spectators as well.
Fake icy atmosphere
Shot in the Uist, a string of islands off the coast of Scotland, the film evokes the deceptively icy atmosphere of Finn Aki Kaurismäki. The absurd is at the rendezvous, diverting the distress inscribed on the faces. The director and screenwriter focuses on the character of Omar (Amir El-Masry, British star of Egyptian origin), a young Syrian asylum seeker. The musician never leaves his oud, stored in its case, shares a house with three companions in misfortune, meets local inhabitants…
Everyday life turns into a nightmare, but the scenario offers a few twists, preventing the hero from hitting rock bottom: Limbo allows us to still believe in humanity. The main actor is touching and funny, with a game that evokes silent cinema.
The story is a bit telephonic, heavy with innuendo, and the staging sometimes clumsy – so when it celebrates, using multiple shots, the “performance” of the actor playing the oud, then that he had never touched such an instrument.
Shooting the film is like a feat, Ben Sharrock tells us, like the journey of some of the migrants in the film who manage to make their way despite all the obstacles. We must see Limbo like a tale, or a feel good movie about refugees – a rather rare take on the silver screen.
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